Jul 27, 2009

On Sunday, July 19, approximately 50 anti-fascists and anti-racists madetheir way to the Embassy Suites - Airport hotel in Portland, to oppose theHolocaust-denier and neo-fascist David Irving, and the sympathizers whohad paid $24-$30 each to hear him talk. Although Irving's event was notshut down, we consider our intervention to have been successful in sendinga clear message that fascist organizing is not welcome in our community,and that Irving will be met with resistance. This was not only anachievement for Rose City Antifa members, who were a minority within theopposition to the event, it was also an important result for the broaderanti-racist community, which mobilized effectively and at short notice. Webelieve that events such as that on Sunday set the stage for moresubstantial victories in the future.

David Irving is a British writer of histories who has been involved withthe fascist political scene since the 1960s. Always known for thepro-Hitler bias of his books, approximately two decades ago Irving madethe transition to being a fully-fledged Holocaust-denier. In addition tospreading blatant historical lies, Irving has publicly stated that "TheJews are the architects of their own misfortune". Although Irving has beenbanned from several countries and even imprisoned for his Holocaust-denialpropagandizing and pro-Nazi agitation, he has been touring the UnitedStates since the beginning of July.

On Sunday in the Berlin-Friedrichschain neighborhood [a formerly East Berlin district with a strong left, antifascist, punk, alternative, international, and hipster scene] there was a brutal attack from Neo-Nazis. What happened precisely?

Sunday morning around 6 o´clock, near the Frankfurter Allee subway station, Neo-Nazis first attacked leftists and then also randomly a group of passerby, who luckily were able to flee. As an uninvolved person crossed by, the Neo-Nazis attacked him until he lost consciousness. One of the Nazis dragged him onto the sidewalk, laid his face on the curb and kicked him in the back of the head with all of his might.

This July, David Irving, a British neo-fascist and fraudulent historian, goes on the road in the United States, planning to hold approximately one and a half dozen speaking engagements over the course of a month. As militant anti-racists and anti-fascists, we are making a public call for resistance at each stop along the way of this tour.Who is David Irving?

David Irving is a British writer of histories who has been involved with the fascist political scene since the 1960s. Always known for the pro-Hitler bias of his books, approximately two decades ago Irving made the transition to being a fully-fledged Holocaust-denier, when he testified at the trial of neo-Nazi Ernst Zündel in Canada, and also arranged the publication of Fred Leuchter’s widely-refuted report on gas chambers at Auschwitz. In addition to spreading blatant historical lies, Irving has publicly stated that “The Jews are the architects of their own misfortune”. Unsurprisingly, Irving has been an extremely popular speaker at neo-Nazi rallies in Germany.

In the British libel case Irving v. Penguin Books and Lipstadt, the final ruling in favor of the defendants confirmed that Irving “is an active Holocaust denier” and that “he is anti-Semitic and racist and that he associates with right-wing extremists who promote neo-Nazism.” In 2006, Irving was jailed in Austria after pleading guilty to a charge of “trivializing the Holocaust”, which is a crime in that county. Since his release, Irving has been marketing himself as a former “political prisoner”.

Why Oppose These Events?

Irving’s current tour focuses on “"Re-writing history, using the decoded Nazi messages" (see: http://www. focal. org/speaks/index. html). The re-writing of Third Reich history—especially in relation to the Nazi “Final Solution” for Europe’s Jewish population—is a major preoccupation for modern neo-Nazis and neo-fascists, who correctly believe that memory of the Holocaust is a significant barrier to the mainstreaming of their beliefs. The Holocaust is denied so that, paradoxically, it can be repeated. Wherever Irving appears, he is backed and promoted by virulent anti-Semites and fascist organizers.

Irving’s bogus history is both blatantly offensive and incorrect. However, we oppose Irving not for what he thinks, but rather for what he does. As the name of his own publishing project suggests, Irving serves as a “focal point” to bring Jew-haters and goose-steppers together. He is part of a political tendency that is actively organizing for ethnic and racial hostilities, and in particular to persecute Jewish people. (James von Brunn’s murder of a security guard at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is one recent example of where this anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi tendency can lead. Von Brunn moved within many of the same circles that promote Irving’s work.)

We believe that fascist activism and movement-building should meet with organized resistance. As the Anti-Racist Action Network states in its Points of Unity:

“Whenever fascists are organizing or active in public, we're there. We don't believe in ignoring them or staying away from them. Never let the nazis have the street!”

We invite you to help this effort along, by organizing in your own community.

The exact location of Irving’s talk in each city has not been made public, due to Irving’s fear of encountering the opposition he so richly deserves. Any determined group of individuals ought to be able to pinpoint the event location in their city, however. Many of these events are probably booked under false pretexts, and venue owners may not necessarily know who they are hosting.

Further dates may be added (or subtracted!) as the tour progresses. Irving also plans to speak on the East Coast later this year, although dates have not been announced for this yet. Let’s set the tone for the East Coast wing of Irving’s tour right now!

On Tuesday, September 19, the internationally despised Holocaust denier andhistorical revisionist David Irving was scheduled to speak at a secretmeeting in Chicago regarding "Truth in History." The topic of Irving'sscheduled appearance is ironic, given that his reputation as a historianwas thoroughly shredded by a judgement placed against him in a British highcourt earlier this year. In this case, where David Irving's beliefs and"evidence" were placed on trial, the judge found that "Irving has for hisown ideological reasons persistently and deliberately misrepresented andmanipulated historical evidence; that for the same reasons he has portrayedHitler in an unwarrantedly favourable light, principally in relation to hisattitude towards, and responsibility for, the treatment of the Jews."

For the past 15 years, David Irving has pushed doctored historical evidenceexonerating the Nazis from the extermination of Jews during World War II.He has peddled his ideas to the extreme right, consistently makingappearances and speeches on behalf of fascist and right-wing groups in anumber of countries, including the US, Canada and Germany. According to theBritish courts: "The content of his speeches and interviews often displaysa distinctly pro-Nazi and anti-Jewish bias." There is no question thatDavid Irving is an apologist and proponent of fascism.

A short time before David Irving was scheduled to speak in Chicago, theprogressive right-wing monitoring group the Center for New Community (CNC)learned of the event and put out a call to anti-fascists around Chicago torespond and protest. Over 70 people turned out on only a day's notice,including a sizable contingent pulled together by Anti-Racist Action (ARA)as well as student activists from Depaul University. The activists gatheredat DePaul University, only a few blocks away from Stefani's, the bourgeoisrestaurant hosting Irving's event. The anti-fascists then marched to therestaurant and staged a spirited protest out front. This rowdy protest wasblocked from getting in the front door, but the highly visible and loudpresence drew crowds of onlookers from the surrounding neighborhood,restaurants and workplaces.

At the same time, a group of masked anti-fascists stormed into therestaurant through the rear kitchen entrance. This militant action furtherdisrupted Irving's presentation, as tables were knocked over, food wasthrown and Irving's literature ripped and scattered. Irving himself wasstruck with a chair! The antifas withdrew from the restaurant before policearrived, and no arrests were taken. Irving and his audience of 20 or sowere forced to retreat to the basement of the building.

The protest outside the restaurant continued for 45 minutes, before it leftthe area in the face of a growing police presence and escalated policethreats. The entire night was undoubtedly a victory, as it showed thatanti-fascists could organize on extremely short notice to disrupt aclandestine fascist affair and hand them a lesson they won't soon forget.The anti-fascists themselves were a diverse bunch, including religiousactivists, Jewish students, Latino punks, white anarchists and class warskinheads. The action was also successful because it incorporated spaceboth for activists who merely wished to make a presence and expose theaffair as well as militants who wished to take direct action and attempt toshut it down. Both played their part, and delivered a message that fascistswill not be allowed to secretly spread their lies and organize withoutbeing directly confronted and opposed.